


A Push in the Right Direction (TUA)

by Trainwreck_WIP



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26781316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainwreck_WIP/pseuds/Trainwreck_WIP
Summary: A short story about how Number Five really learned to control his powers (and discovered a new one) involving a long fall and a sibling betrayal.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50





	A Push in the Right Direction (TUA)

The Hargreeves kids were lined up at the bottom of the stairs. Though they had been told to be quiet, they couldn't help but shift around excitedly. Today would be the first time they were allowed to train together, to see each other's powers in action! Even better was that they were going to race, all the way to the top of the stairway that seemed to stretch upwards for miles. The shriek of a whistle signaled for them to begin.

At first, they all just sprinted up the stairs, as if they were normal kids racing for fun. Allison was the first to differ. Halfway to the second landing, she paused cleared her throat.

"I heard a rumor that you all let me pass you." She said loudly. Her brothers froze. She happily skipped up the stairs, past her competition, ignoring the glares being sent her way. As soon as she passed Ben, who was the furthest, she started running again. The boys unfroze, grumbling about how that wasn't fair. 

Luther pushed Deigo to the side, a bit harder than he intended, and sent him crashing down the stairs directly into Klaus. They both let out surprised yelps as they crashed into the wall behind them. Luther called down an apology but didn't stop to help. Deigo and Klaus cursed as they untangled themselves and stood up. Deigo looked at his brother.

"I bet you ten dollars I can beat Luther." Klaus laughed at Deigo.

"Yeah, that'll happen. I'll take that bet!" They took off up the stairs again. Ben and Five were the smallest but also the lightest and fastest, so they were both well past the halfway point, but it was easy to tell that they were both getting tired. 

A little less than ten minutes later, they had all reached the top. Ben had made it first, with Allison close behind. Then Deigo, then Luther, then Five. Klaus came last- he had tripped and slid down the stairs twice. The siblings sat on the floor, catching their breath and smiling proudly. Their father scribbled down notes with a frown. Soft violin music came from another part of the house. 

"Hey, Five?" Ben asked after a minute. Five looked at his brother.

"What?" Five responded. Ben frowned slightly, confusion showing on his face.

"Why didn't you just... you know... blink up here?" Five scowled. He opened his mouth to respond, but their father cut him off.

"Number Five cannot control his abilities," Reginald said. All of his siblings turned to look at Five. Five scowled, a bright blush flushing his face.

"That's not true!" Reginald huffed, snapping his notebook shut.

"I do not have time for this debate today. Dismissed." He turned and swiftly walked in the direction of his office. Five watched at him, feeling a strange sense of betrayal despite the hate he already held for his adoptive 'father'. Here he was, thinking he'd keep a secret for once.

"C'mon, we've seen you teleport before. Dad's just a liar." Klaus said. Five forced a smile, not telling them that he'd only successfully used his abilities when he was frightened or in danger.

"Yeah... yeah, he's just a liar." He pulled himself to his feet. He rolled back his shoulders and straightened his uniform.

"Are you guys hungry?" Deigo asked from his spot sprawled out on the floor. Allison jumped up.

"Do you guys wanna race to the kitchen?" The rest of the boys climbed to their feet and they raced to the kitchen.

Reginald watched the children run through the house, moving across each monitor screen as they passed from room to room. He frowned and thought for a moment before starting to write in his notebook once more.

'New Plan for Number Five...'

~~~

The kids were lined up again, waiting for instructions. This time, though, they were at the top of the stairway. They were jostling around, laughing and teasing each other but quickly fell silent as their father walked in. Reginald studied them for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Today we will be testing each of your abilities in high stakes scenarios." The children shifted nervously at this news. With their father, who knew what 'high stakes' could possibly mean? They'd quickly learned to not ask questions, though.

"We shall start with Number Five." Five stiffened, a sinking feeling in his chest. He stepped forward. Reginald gave a slight nod, and suddenly Five's feet weren't touching the floor anymore.

"What- Luther put me down!" Five kicked at his brother but Luther barely flinched. Luther moved toward the stairs and held his brother over the long drop to the ground several floors below. A painful drop, if not fatal. Five's heart raced as he thrashed, trying to get back to the railing.

"Luther stop! Put me down!" He shouted. He looked down at the drop below, getting suddenly dizzy.

"No," he muttered to himself. "No, no no." Luther looked over at Reginald, little emotion on his face. Reginald nodded shortly. Luther dropped his brother. Five screamed.

There was a stuttering wooshing sound, and a dull blue flash of light. The siblings rushed to the railing, surprised and shocked. The room fell to silence.

"Wh-where'd he go?" Ben asked quietly. No one had an answer. 

~~~

It was quiet at dinner that night. They had gone through the rest of the day quietly, sullenly. Five was still missing. Luther felt awful. 

'This is all my fault,' he thought to himself. He stared at the food in front of him with no appetite. He glanced at his siblings out of the corner of his eye and saw they were doing the same. He pushed the food around his plate, making no attempt to eat. 

Vanya gasped suddenly, dropping her fork to her plate with a loud clink. Her head shot up, a strange look in her eyes.

"Do... do you guys feel that?" The rest of the siblings murmured to each other, none of them know what she was talking about. A bright blue swirling light appeared above the table, a cold wind coming out of nowhere, causing yelps and gasps of surprise and confusion.

There was a panicked shout, and their missing brother appeared standing in the middle of the table. The light vanished and the wind dissipated. Five looked around, wild-eyed. Vanya reached out to take his hand. He caught her wrist in one fluent motion, then seemed to register who she was and quickly let go. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but quickly shut it and stayed silent. Luther stood and moved slowly in his brother's direction.

"Five, I-I'm so sorry, I-" Five turned abruptly towards Luther. A light of terrifying anger shone in his eyes. He was trembling. Luther took a step back.

"You could have KILLED ME," Five growled. 

"Stay. Away. From me."

Five jumped off the table and walked briskly out of the room. Not a word was spoken after.

~~~

Five stared out the window in his bedroom, inhaling deeply and trying to stop his hands from trembling. He stared at himself in his reflection.

'I'm not crazy,' he thought to himself. The first thing he'd done upon arriving back home was find the date. And what he found didn't make sense. He'd only been gone for one day? Impossible. It had been...

"Five?" Allison was standing in the doorway to his room, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

Five looked at her for a moment, then turned back to the window, silently shaking his head. Allison stepped into the room, shutting the door partially behind her. She stood at the window next to her brother.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked after a few minutes. Five thought for a moment before nodding slowly. He clasped his hands.

"How... how long was I gone?" he asked, placing his hands on the windowsill. Allison looked at him, confused.

"Half a day. Why?" Five furrowed his brow, biting his lip. Allison covered Five's hand with her own. She looked at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"What happened to you, Five?" Five looked down at their hands on the windowsill.

"I-I don't know. I think I can..." he trailed off. Allison raised an eyebrow. 

"You think you can what?" she prompted softly. Five turned away from the window and began to pace the length of the room. Allison turned to watch him, his distress making her nervous. Of all her brothers, Five was the one she'd considered most put together, even brave. She'd never seen him like this. After a couple of minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

"You won't believe me," he mumbled. Allison frowned slightly. 

"You can't know that unless you tell me. Five, you're obviously upset, I want to help!" Five ran his hand through her hair and finally turned to face his sister. 

"I think I can time travel." Allison's eyes widened. That was not the answer she had been expecting. Five sighed and sat down on his bed, all the energy seeming to drain from him. 

"You don't believe me," he said sadly.

"No! I mean, I do. I believe you. It's just..." she spread her hands face up in front of her. "What happened? Really?" Five looked down.

"You say I was gone for only half a day," he mumbled before looking up at her. "But for me, it was three months." Allison stared at him. As much as this felt like a prank, Five had never been one to joke, other than the occasional sarcastic comment. She sat on the bed next to him.

"Three months?" Five nodded. 

"I... I was falling and I managed to teleport. It was like my instincts took over. And the next thing I know I was standing on a sidewalk, completely lost. But everything seemed... different."

"Different?" Allison asked softly.

"Newer. I found a newspaper, but the date... it was six months from now." Allison put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. 

"What did you do next?"

"I tried figuring out where I was. But someone stopped me. She said... said she knew I was lost in time, that she wanted to help. She offered me a job, and a way home. I took her offer."

"What sort of job?" Allison asked. Five crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

"I don't want to talk about it." Allison opened her mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by the door swinging open. Grace stepped into the room.

"It's time for bed, children!" She chirped. Allison cast one more worried glance at her brother, who still stared absently at the floor, before she retreated to her room. Grace watched Allison close the door to her room, then turned to Five, who still hadn't moved.

"Are you alright, dear?" Five looked up distractedly.

"Uh, yeah mom. I'm fine." Grace looked concerned for another second, then forced a bright smile. She told him goodnight and quietly shut the door.

Deeper in the house, Reginald Hargreeves was thoughtfully watching the cameras. As the night went on, he noted Number Five's fitful sleep and came to a silent decision.

The next morning, Five was called into his father's office. This had never happened before, as the children were not allowed into that room. When he arrived there he found, to his confusion, that Allison was there too. Reginald sat at his desk, staring emotionlessly at his children. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

"It is time, Number Three." Five turned to his sister in confusion.

"What's he..." he trailed off when he noticed Allison's teary eyes and trembling chin. He looked to his father, silently pleading for him to stop this. He knew what was about to happen. "Oh. Allison, please-" 

"I'm sorry, Five," she took a deep breath. "I heard a rumor, you forgot about your new ability."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading my first work on AO3! This one was a bit rushed, I'll admit, but I think it turned out well!  
> (Also, let me know if this was formatted weird, I've barely used this platform and I'm not entirely sure how things are typically done. Thanks!)


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